A polyolefin composition and a thermoplastic elastomer based upon a semi-crystalline polyolefin are described which have improved adhesion to polar polymers including textile fibers and metals including wires. A combination of a low flexural modulus (low crystallinity) polypropylene and a maleic anhydride functionalized polypropylene were found to exhibit excellent adhesion to textile fibers. Incorporation of these two components into a TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) imparts excellent adhesion of the TPE to textile fibers.
Polyolefins and thermoplastic elastomers rich in polyolefins have traditionally had poor adhesion to textile fibers. Experiments with thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV), a subset of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), using formulations similar to those of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,130,534 and 4,130,535 resulted in peel strengths of only 0.5 to 1.0 pounds per linear inch (pli) between the TPV and textile fibers after melt processing the TPV to the textile fibers. The industrial hose and belting markets generally require a peel strength of at least 8 to 12 pli for candidate matrix materials for fiber reinforced hoses and belting. While polyolefins and TPVs from polyolefins have benefits over plasticized polyvinyl chloride resin (in terms of chemical resistance and physical properties after aging) and over crosslinked rubbers (in terms of processability and physical properties after aging) their use with textile fibers has been limited due to low adhesion values (low peel strengths).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,968 teaches adhesive thermoplastic elastomer blends comprising a) at least a polyolefin modified by a chemically reactive functional group, b) at least one other polymer, and c) at least one olefinic elastomer.
Typically, when a polymer and a fiber exhibit poor adhesion toward each other, the problem is attributed to poor wetting of the fiber with the polymer or a lack of good interactions between the fiber surface and the polymer. If processing aids are not effective in solving the wetting problem, then different fibers or a different polymer is chosen or a sizing, more interactive with the specific polymer, is applied to the fiber.
A combination of two polymers was found that improves the interaction of polyolefins and/or thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV) with more polar polymers and metals, especially various textile fibers and metal wires. More polar polymers are defined as those polymers more polar than polyolefins due to the inclusion of heteroatoms such as oxygen or nitrogen in the repeating groups. The first polymer is a low crystallinity polyolefin with a low flexural modulus (tangent) such as from about 5,000 to about 20,000 psi (34.5 to 138 MPa). It is hypothesized that the low flexural modulus helps reduce stress at the bond line between the polyolefin and the fiber and/or polar polymer. The first polymer may be characterized as a polyolefin polymer or copolymer with only 10 to 30 percent crystallinity. As described later the first polymer with low crystallinity and a low modulus may be a blend (reactor blend, physical blend, etc.) of a very low crystallinity polymer with a conventional semi-crystalline polyolefin. The second polymer is a functionalized polyolefin (e.g. semicrystalline polyolefin) with from about 0.5 to about 3.5 mole percent of functional repeating units. Preferred functional groups are carboxylic acid groups and/or anhydride from a di or poly carboxylic acid. For the purposes of this application the polyolefin can be derived from polymerizing monoolefins or from polymerizing diolefins and then hydrogenating them to obtain similar microstructures to polyolefins. These polyolefins from diolefins can be block copolymers with other monomers such as stryene.
In some embodiments, the functionalized polyolefin and the polyolefin with the low flexural modulus and low crystallinity are the only required components of a hot-melt composition with excellent adhesion to polar polymers and textile fibers.
In another embodiment, a crosslinked rubber is present so that the rubbery properties of a thermoplastic vulcanizate are present.
In yet another thermoplastic vulcanizate embodiment, both a conventional high modulus polyolefin and rubber are present. The high modulus polyolefin can increase the stiffness and/or increase the softening temperature of the composition for uses requiring stiffness or having a higher use temperature requiring a higher softening temperature for the TPV.
Any of the above compositions can be used to adhere to polar polymers, metal, high tensile strength fibers and/or sheets. The excellent adhesion attributed to the combination of functionalized polyolefin and low crystallinity and low flexural modulus polyolefin is well utilized in melt processing a thermoplastic vulcanizate around a fiber or metal (e.g. wire) reinforced assembly.
Hydrosilylation crosslinking is a particularly advantageous type of crosslinking for the rubber phase as it has minimal side reactions with the functionalized polyolefin allowing the functionalized polyolefin to be blended with the other components before crosslinking the rubber phase.
The components of the invention vary depending on the requirements of the particular application. Two polymers are common to all applications. They are the low crystallinity, low flexural modulus polyolefin and the functionalized polyolefin. Other components that can be added are a rubber phase (usually crosslinked by dynamic vulcanization), an additional one or more semicrystalline polyolefins with higher flexural modulus, and conventional additives to a hot-melt adhesive or thermoplastic vulcanizate.
The first polyolefin can also be described as a polyolefin with low levels of crystallinity as compared to a highly isotactic semicrystalline polypropylene. Desirably the first polyolefin has from about 10, 12, 14, or 15 to about 20, 25, 26.5, 30, or 32 weight percent crystallinity. The weight percent crystallinity can be determined by dividing the heat of fusion of the sample as received by the heat of fusion of 100% crystalline polypropylene (assumed to be 209 joules/g). The first polyolefin, with low flexural modulus (tangent), can generally be any polyolefin with low polyolefin crystallinity and a flexural modulus desirably from about 5,000 to about 20,000 psi (34.5-138 MPa), more desirably from about 7,500 to about 17,500 psi (51.7-121 MPa) and preferably from about 9,000 to about 16,000 psi (62 to 110.4 MPa). The flexural modulus is measured by ASTM D 790A test method at 23xc2x0 C.
The first polyolefin can be a homopolymer with low crystallinity due to random or regular variations in tacticity, a copolymer that has low crystallinity due to the comonomer(s) and/or random or regular variations in tacticity (including blockly homo and copolymers), and polymers prepared by blending or grafting together oligomers or polymers. In particular, atactic and isotactic polypropylene (PP), in-situ blends, long isotactic PP sequence metallocene catalyzed ethylene-propylene copolymers (EP""s), elastic PPs with stereoblocks of atactic PP and isotactic PP (which can be metallocene catalyzed), isotactic PPs with metallocene catalyzed asymmetrical stereoerrors, isotactic PP and atactic PP combinations by blending or by stereoblocks from mixed metallocenes, and PPs that have an atactic PP backbone with isotactic PP branches using metallocene catalysis. For the purpose of this application, both the terms polymer and copolymer will be interpreted as including copolymers, terpolymers, etc., so that polymer includes copolymer and copolymer includes a polymer from three or more monomers. Desirably, at least 70, 80, or 90 weight percent of the repeat units are from olefin monomers having from 2 to 8 carbon atoms and preferably at least 70, 80, or 90 weight percent are derived from propylene monomer. Examples of operative low flexural modulus, low crystallinity polymers are Rexflex(copyright) 101 from Huntsman in Houston, Tex., characterized as a reactor blend of atactic and isotactic propylene homopolymer having about 10 to about 20 wt. % crystallinity and Adflex(copyright) KS 357P from Montell North America in Wilmington, Del., characterized as a polyolefin with low weight percent crystalline content of 10 to 20 wt. %.
When the first polyolefin with low crystallinity and low flexural modulus is used in a thermoplastic vulcanizate, it is desirably used in an amount from about 10 to about 400 parts by weight and more desirably from about 12.5 or 15 to about 350 or 400 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of total rubber in the TPV. It is also desirable that the polyolefin with low crystallinity and low flexural modulus be present from about 10 to about 350 parts by weight and more desirably from about 15 to about 75 or 85 parts by weight per 100 total parts of semi-crystalline polyolefin in the thermoplastic phase. When the polyolefin with low crystallinity and low flexural modulus is used in a non-TPV application, then it is desirably present in an amount from about 20 to about 90 parts by weight and more desirably from about 25 to about 75 or 85 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight total polyolefins.
For the purpose of this application the total semicrystalline polyolefins includes the functionalized polyolefin if it has greater than 26.5 or 30 weight percent crystallinity.
In lieu of the polyolefin with low crystallinity and low flexural modulus one may be able to use a generally amorphous polyolefin (a polyolefin having less than 10 weight percent crystallinity and preferably less than 3 weight percent crystallinity) which will blend with a semicrystalline polyolefin such as isotactic polypropylene. This generally amorphous polyolefin is different than EPDM rubber in that it desirably has at least 75 mole percent and more desirably at least 80, 85, or 90 mole percent repeating units from a single olefin monomer, preferably propylene. This substitution is taught in WO 97/39059 as an alternative for the products marketed under the Rexene(trademark) and Rexflex(trademark) names. When the amorphous polyolefin is used in lieu of a low crystallinity polyolefin it should be used in an amount from about 5 to about 200 parts by weight, more desirably from about 6 or 7.5 to about 125 or 150 parts by weight per 100 parts total weight of rubber in the TPV. When the amorphous polyolefin is used in lieu of a low crystallinity polyolefin it should be used in an amount from about 5 to about 75 parts by weight, more desirably from about 7.5 to about 37 or 43 parts by weight per 100 parts total weight of semi-crystalline polyolefins in the thermoplastic phase. For the purpose of this application polyolefins with less than 10 weight percent crystallinity will be considered as amorphous.
The functionalized polyolefin desirably has from about 0.5 to about 3.5 mole percent functional groups, and more desirably from about 1 or 1.5 to about 2.0 or 2.5 mole percent functional groups based upon total repeating units in the polymer. The functional groups may be from monomers copolymerized with the olefin monomers or may be added by post-polymerization functionalization such as by grafting unsaturated monomers onto polyolefins as documented by U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,410 to BP Chemicals Limited which describes carboxylic acid grafting in columns 1 and 2. Desirably, at least 70, 80, or 90 weight percent of the repeating units for this polyolefin are olefin monomers of 2 to 8 carbon atoms and more preferably 2 or 3 carbon atoms. For the purposes of this application, functional groups will be defined as groups with heteroatoms other than carbon and hydrogen. Examples of functional groups include carboxylic acid groups, anhydrides from dicarboxylic or polycarboxylic acids, such as the group derived from grafting maleic anhydride to a polyolefin backbone. Preferred groups are carboxylic acid groups or anhydrides of two or more carboxylic acids. Thus the functionalized polyolefin can be a copolymer of acrylic acid and ethylene or propylene; a terpolymer of ethylene, vinyl acetate and acrylic acid; or a terpolymer of ethylene, methyl acrylate, acrylic acid; etc.
The polyolefin which is functionalized to make the functionalized polyolefin is desirably made from monoolefins so that it is compatible with the semicrystalline polyolefin phase. However there are other polymers having hydrogenated blocks made from from diolefins (e.g. conjugated dienes having from 4 to 8 carbon atoms) which polymer blocks are chemically indistinguishable from polyolefins polymerized from monoolefins by chemical analysis and have compatibility with the semicrystalline polymers made from monoolefins due to the similarities of their microstructure and their composition. For the purposes of this application these block copolymers with blocks of hydrogenated polydienes will be defined as polyolefins due to their equivalence to conventional polyolefins made from monoolefins. These polymers include homopolymers and block copolymers comprising blocks of polydiene that are subsequently hydrogenated. Blocks of hydrogenated polyisoprene look like perfectly random copolymers of ethylene and propylene. Blocks of hydrogenated polybutadiene look like copolymers of 1,2-butylene and ethylene. Commercially available hydrogenated blocky copolymers of dienes and styrene can function as the starting material for functionalized polyolefins due to the equivalence of the hydrogenated diene blocks to a polyolefin made from monoolefins. The polymer backbone of the functionalized material can also be a maleic anhydride modified hydrogenated styrene/butadiene/styrene (SBS) and/or hydrogenated styrene/butadiene/styrene (SEBS).
When the functionalized polyolefin is used in a thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) it is desirably used in an amount from about 10 or 15 to about 200 parts by weight, more desirably from about 15 or 20 to about 100 or 200 and preferably from about 40 to about 80 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of rubbers in the TPV. It is also desirable that the functionalized polyolefin be present in an amount from about 10 to about 60 parts by weight and more desirably from about 12.5 to about 50 parts by weight per 100 total parts of polyolefin in the thermoplastic phase. When the functionalized polyolefin is used in a non-TPV application, it is desirably present in an amount from about 5 to about 60 parts by weight and more desirably from about 10 to about 50 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight total polyolefins.
A second semicrystalline polyolefin with higher flexural modulus can optionally be used in any of the embodiments. The higher flexural modulus is higher than the polyolefin with low crystallinity and low flexural modulus. This higher flexural modulus polymer desirably has a flexural modulus measured by ASTM D 790A of at least 30,000 psi (205 MPa) and more desirably at least 45,000 psi (310 MPa). The polymer can be made by any known polymerization process including low pressure and high pressure processes. The monomers are desirably olefins having from 2 to 8, 10, or 12 carbon atoms. Desirably, the second semicrystalline polyolefin has at least 70, 80, or 90 weight percent of repeat units from olefin monomers with the residual repeat units, if any, selected from copolymerizable monomers. The second semicrystalline polyolefin may be present to increase the amount of the polyolefin phase, which may be desirable to increase the processability of the composition or the hardness of the composition. The amount of a second semicrystalline polyolefin in a TPV, when present, is desirably in amounts up to 300 parts by weight and more desirably from about 5 to about 200, 250 or 300 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of rubber. Desirably, in applications requiring the elastic properties of a TPV, the total polyolefins (polyolefin with low flexural modulus, functionalized polyolefin, and optional second polyolefin) are present in amount from about 20 to about 450 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of rubber.
For the purposes of this application the semicrystalline polyolefins will include polyolefins with a at least 26.5 wt, % crystallinity. The functionalized polyolefin and any other semicrystalline polyolefins will be included in calculations for total semicrystalline polyolefins provided they have at least 26.5 wt. % crystallinity. It will not include rubbers such as EPDM rubber, which is a polyolefin but is generally defined as amorphous or essentially non-crystalline.
The rubber component can be any rubber suitable for use in a thermoplastic vulcanizate. These rubbers include ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM) (e.g. copolymer of two or more alphamonoolefins in weight ratios of 25:75 to 75:25 [if three or more monoolefins are used the then two have to be each be present in an amount of at least 25 weight percent of the total] with 0.2 to 10 wt % of repeating units from a polyene with 5 to 15 carbon atoms based on the weight of the EPDM); various isobutylene copolymers such as butyl rubber copolymers of isobutylene and p-methylstyrene, butyl rubber copolymers of isobutylene and a diene (including brominated and chlorinated versions), and copolymers or terpolymers of isobutylene and divinyl aromatic monomers; natural rubber; homopolymers of conjugated dienes having from 4 to 8 carbon atoms, optionally including halogens, such as polybutadiene, synthetic isoprene, and chloroprene rubber; or copolymers having at least 50 weight percent repeating units from said conjugated dienes, such as styrene-butadiene rubber and/or nitrile rubber: and combinations thereof.
While the description above is generally adequate for the rubbers in general in thermoplastic vulcanizates, in some embodiments using hydrosilylation crosslinking the preferred rubbers are as set forth below. Hydrosilylation crosslinking is taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,803,244 and 5,672,660 hereby incorporated by reference. The preferred rubbers are those with residual carbon to carbon double bond unsaturation that is pendant to the polymer backbone and sterically unhindered with respect to reaction with the hydrosilylation crosslinking agent. Preferred rubbers with such sterically unhindered bonds react quickly with low concentrations of hydrosilylation crosslinking agent and low concentrations of catalyst.
Preferred rubbers for hydrosilylation crosslinking include rubbers from two or more xcex1-monoolefins, copolymerized with a polyene, usually a non-conjugated diene such as EPDM rubber, previously described. Useful polyenes include 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene (ENB); 1,4-hexadiene (HD); 5-methylene-2-norbornene (MNB); 1,6-octadiene; 5-methyl-1,4-hexadiene; 3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadiene; 1,3-cyclopentadiene; 1,4-cyclohexadiene; dicyclopentadiene (DCPD); 5-vinyl-2-norbornene (VNB) and the like, or a combination thereof. 5-vinyl-2-norbornene (VNB) is a preferred polyene in EPBM for hydrosilylation crosslinking.
Another preferred rubber for hydrosilylation crosslinking is a copolymer or terpolymer of isobutylene and divinyl aromatic compounds. These polymers are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,916,180 and 2,671,774, hereby incorporated by reference. These polymers desirably comprise from about 94 to about 99 or 99.5 weight percent repeating units from isobutylene, from about 0 or 0.5 to about 3 or 5 weight percent repeating units from a conjugated diene and from about 0.5 to about 3 or 5 weight percent repeating units from a divinyl aromatic monomer having the formula 
wherein X is an aromatic (aryl) or an alkyl substituted aromatic moiety, and each R may be the same or different and is selected from hydrogen or a C1-5 alkyl. Divinyl benzene is a preferred example of the above divinyl aromatic monomer.
Another preferred rubber is a copolymer of isobutylene and para-methylstyrene which is post-polymerization functionalized with a halogen on the paramethyl group and then functionalized by replacing the halogen with an acrylic or alkacrylic group. This type of substitution chemistry on copolymers of isobutylene and para-methylstyrene is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,445 hereby incorporated by reference. This addition of the acrylic or alkacrylic group is well known to the art and involves the reaction of 
where M+ is a metal ion such as Na+ or K+ and Br is bromine, an example of a halogen, the remainder of the isobutylene-paramethylstyrene is represented by the squiggly line, and each R group is independently H or an alkyl or alkylene of 1 to 4 carbon atoms. The product is 
The curative or crosslinking system for the rubber can be any system conventionally used for thermoplastic vulcanizates. These include peroxide, azide, sulfur, phenolic resin and accelerated sulfur-vulcanizing agents. The combination of maleimide and disulfide accelerator can be used. Other curatives such as those used for butyl rubber include sulfur, phenolic resin, metal oxide, p-quinone dioxime, or bis-maleimide vulcanizing system. Halogenated butyl rubbers can be crosslinked with zinc oxide. The curatives or crosslinking systems are used in conventional amounts for crosslinking the rubber based upon the weight of the rubber component.
Alternatively, the crosslinking system can comprise a hydrosilylation crosslinking system such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,803,244 and 5,672,660, hereby incorporated by reference. Preferred silicon hydride compounds (hydrosilylation crosslinkers) include compounds of the formula 
wherein each R is independently selected from the group consisting of alkyls comprising 1 to 20 carbon atoms, cycloalkyls comprising 4 to 12 carbon atoms and aryls. In formula (1) it is preferred that each R be independently selected from a group consisting of alkyls comprising 1 to 6 carbon atoms. Even more preferred is R=methyl, Rxe2x80x2 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl or alkoxy group having from 1 to about 24 carbon atoms. Rxe2x80x3 represents R or a hydrogen atom. 
m is an integer having a value ranging from 1 to 50, n is an integer having a value ranging from 1 to 50, and p is an integer having a value ranging from 0 to 6.
Particularly preferred polyorganosiloxanes are those in which the silicon atom of the silicon hydride functionality is bound by heteroatoms/atoms having lone pairs of electrons. The preferred polyorganosiloxanes may also be substituted with appropriate functionality permitting solubility in the reaction media. A type of this functionalization is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,930, which teaches alkylation of polyorganosiloxanes. The weight percent of alkylation should be limited to a level that permits adequate reaction rates and minimizes steric constraints.
The amount of silicon hydride compound useful in the process of the present invention can range from about 0.1 to about 10.0 mole equivalents of SiH per mole of carbon-carbon double bond in the rubber, and preferably is in the range of about 0.5 to about 5.0 mole equivalents of SiH per carbon-carbon double bond in the rubber component of the thermoplastic elastomer.
It has generally been understood that any hydrosilylation catalyst, or catalyst precursor capable of generating a catalyst in situ, which will catalyze the hydrosilylation reaction with the carbon-carbon bonds of the rubber, can be used. Such catalysts have included transition metals of Group VIII such as palladium, rhodium, platinum and the like, including complexes of these metals. Chloroplatinic acid has been disclosed as a useful catalyst in U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,244 and European Application No. 651,009, which further disclose that the catalyst may be used at concentrations of 5 to 10,000 parts per million parts by weight rubber and 100 to 200,000 parts per million parts by weight rubber, respectively.
Significantly lower concentrations of platinum-containing catalyst can be used, while obtaining improvement in both the speed of the reaction and the efficiency of the crosslinking. Concentrations of catalyst in the range of about 0.01 to about 20, 40 or 50 parts per million parts by weight of rubber, expressed as platinum metal, in combination with a diene-containing rubber having carbon-carbon multiple bonds which are predominately sterically unhindered, are effective in rapidly and completely curing the rubber in the process of dynamically vulcanizing blends of thermoplastic resin and rubber. Catalyst concentrations of about 0.1 to about 4 or 40 parts per million by weight expressed as platinum metal, and based on the weight of rubber, are particularly preferred.
Platinum-containing catalysts, which are useful in the process of the invention, are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,578,497; 3,220,972; and 2,823,218, all of which are incorporated herein by this reference. These catalysts include chloroplatinic acid with symdivinyltetramethyldisiloxane, dichloro-bis (triphenylphosphine) platinum (II), cis-dichloro-bis (acetonitrile) platinum (II), dicarbonyldichloroplatinum (II), platinum chloride and platinum oxide. Zero valent platinum metal complexes such as Karstedt""s catalyst are particularly preferred.
In order for the catalyst to function most efficiently in the dynamic vulcanization environment, it is important that it is inherently thermally stable, or that its activity is inhibited to prevent too rapid a reaction or catalyst decomposition. Appropriate catalyst inhibitors that are suitable to stabilize the platinum catalyst at high temperature include 1,3,5,7-tetravinyltetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane and its higher analogs such as vinyl cyclic pentamer. However, other olefins that are stable above 165xc2x0 C. are also useful. These include maleates, fumarates and the cyclic pentamer. It is also particularly preferred in the invention to use a catalyst that remains soluble in the reaction medium.
The thermoplastic elastomer may contain conventional additives, which can be introduced into the composition in the thermoplastic resin, the rubber, or in the blend before, during or after curing. Examples of such additives are antioxidants, processing aids, reinforcing and non-reinforcing fillers, pigments, waxes, rubber processing oil, extender oils, antiblocking agents, antistatic agents, ultraviolet stabilizers, plasticizers (including esters), foaming agents, flame retardants and other processing aids known to the rubber compounding art. Such additives may comprise from about 1 to about 300 percent by weight based on the weight of the total polyolefins and rubber in the final thermoplastic elastomer product. Fillers and extenders, which can be utilized, include conventional inorganics such as calcium carbonate, clays, silica, talc, titanium dioxide, carbon black and the like. The rubber processing oils generally are paraffinic, naphthenic or aromatic oils derived from petroleum fractions. The type will be that ordinarily used in conjunction with the specific rubber or rubbers present in the composition, and the quantity of processing oil based on the total rubber content of the thermoplastic elastomer may range from zero or 50 to several hundred parts by weight per hundred parts by weight of rubber. Important to the efficiency of the catalyst is that the oils and other additives contain no or very low concentrations of compounds that interfere with the activity of the catalyst. These include phosphines, amines, sulfides or other compounds that may be classified as Lewis bases.
The rubber component of the thermoplastic elastomer is generally present as small, i.e. micron-size particles within a continuous thermoplastic resin matrix, although a co-continuous morphology or a phase inversion is also possible depending upon the amount of rubber relative to plastic and the degree of cure of the rubber. The rubber is desirably at least partially crosslinked, and preferably is completely or fully crosslinked. It is preferred that the rubber be crosslinked by the process of dynamic vulcanization. As used in the specification and claims, the term xe2x80x9cdynamic vulcanizationxe2x80x9d means a vulcanization or curing process for a rubber blended with a thermoplastic resin, wherein the rubber is vulcanized under conditions of shear at a temperature at which the mixture will flow. The rubber is thus simultaneously crosslinked and dispersed as fine particles within the thermoplastic resin matrix, although as noted above other morphologies may exist. Dynamic vulcanization is effected by mixing the thermoplastic elastomer components at elevated temperatures in conventional mixing equipment such as multiple-roll roll mills, Banbury mixers, Brabender mixers, continuous mixers, mixing extruders and the like. Generally after a reasonably homogenous mixture of the two phases is established, the curatives are added. Mixing is continued until maximum mixing torque is reached. Thereafter mixing is continued one or two minutes. The unique characteristics of dynamically cured compositions is that, notwithstanding the fact that the rubber component is partially or fully cured, the compositions can be processed and reprocessed by conventional plastic processing techniques such as extrusion, injection molding and compression molding. Scrap or flashing can be salvaged and reprocessed.
It is preferred to prepare a dynamic vulcanizate as described above when using peroxide, sulfur, and the phenolic curatives. Peroxide curatives may cause some chain scission of polyolefins. The functionalized polyolefin is generally, but not necessarily, added after curing the rubber phase, to avoid any chemical interaction between the curative and the functional groups of the functionalized polyolefin. The addition of the functionalized polyolefin can occur in the same equipment or separate equipment from the preparation of the thermoplastic vulcanizate. The polyolefin with the low crystallinity and low flexural modulus can be added in any stage of the processing, e.g. before or after curing the rubber phase. Commercial thermoplastic vulcanizates can be converted to thermoplastic vulcanizates with excellent adhesion to textile fibers, by adding during melt blending appropriate amounts of functionalized polyolefin and polyolefin with low crystallinity and low flexural modulus.
As the hydrosilylation crosslinking system does not appreciably react with maleic anhydride functionalized polyolefin, the functionalized polyolefin can be added before the crosslinking (curing) step eliminating the extra addition step after crosslinking.
The polar polymer can be any polymer more polar than polyolefins. The polar polymer can be a molded or shaped article onto which a thermoplastic coating is applied or it may be in the form of sheets or fibers. Desirably the polar polymer and the fiber or sheet reinforcement may be any high tensile modulus material (e.g. above 130,000 psi, more desirably above 180,000 psi) that can desirably be formed into fibers or sheets. Examples include polyesters, polyamides, glass fibers, natural fibers such as cellulosic, etc. The fibers can be woven, bundled, yarns, non-woven, etc. In addition polyolefin polymers may be used to make the fibers or blends of polyolefins and the polar polymers may form the fibers, or blends of polyolefin fibers and polar polymer fibers may be used.
The hot melt adhesive or the thermoplastic vulcanizate of this disclosure also adheres well to metallic substrates. Thus they may be used as a coating on metallic parts, sheets, or fibers (wires) or used to form molded or shaped parts that include metal such as sheets or wires as part of or adhered to a molded or shaped article. Examples of products formed with these thermoplastic vulcanizates include covers for hydraulic hoses, tube and cover for fire fighting hoses, belting, roofing, etc.